The Paintgirl Chronicles # 2: Coating Paints!

Ohmygod. Whatever presumptions I did have, I certainly did not think using a heavy brush and a bucket of paint would give me a body pain. -_- Those painter dudes are certainly tough guys, I know now. But no, I'm not complaining, because it's been (and still is) the kind of experience someone as crazy enough as I am would love to have. Despite the pain, the chanting of God's various names while precariously perched on top of the ladder (did I say perched? Cross that, standing with just plain walls for support, on which you can't even lean because one, they're newly painted and two, you'd just fall anyway), an overenthusiastic mom (who by the way, turned out to be an awesome Paintwoman!) I'm loving it! :D I'm kind of blocked right now and so I dunno how to go about this post, to include everything I've learned! I'm feeling like a hungry maJdoor (special emphasis on 'J'. Hi, munchkin! :P ) right now, waiting for tea, which I've consumed like... like whoever consumes tea all day long and I won't have time after this because I've gotta get started with the designing. :D

Things you learn when you get down to painting your room:

1. You thought you were enthusiastic, you wished your parents would get enthusiastic too. Dudes, whoever said 'Be careful what you wish for, it just might come true' was right. Half your time might be spent fighting with your mom at whose turn it is to use the brush. She might want to paint everything herself and give you the job of using the roller on the fresh paint so it gets even. She might reduce the number of breaks you have and make you get away from the technological gadgets you use for breaks. But it's actually something you enjoy. You realize all her ideas have wonderful results, she's an awesome Paintwoman, and has got an eye for colors and which area needs another coat. Trust her, people! Mother knows best. ;)

2. The first coat of paint would always be patchy and uneven. Even after it dries up. Even if it's a plain, normal wall without any internal past water seepage problem. :P It might look so bad that you'd think you shouldn't have taken the initiative after all. BUT no! You'd actually 'get' how to paint effectively so it doesn't make a patch by the second time around. And you'd be more careful. Just gently make horizontal strokes and then use a roller over them to make it smooth. You wouldn't know how it'd look like in the end, because it's very different when it's still wet, but the second time around you'd feel so amazingly proud of yourself!!! It gets so much better and so smooth and almost flawless! :D Mom and I did this wall in a dark shade of pink and it. looks. amazing.

The dark one! :D

3. The wall with the past water-seepage-problem, even after scraping and cleansing would already have patches and the fresh coat of paint will not disguise those. We painted it the same dark color at first, but the room had all dark walls then! One, I was already feeling anxious by completely changing the look and two, it wasn't as bright as before. And that was with just one coat! Later that night, one of those brainstormy awesome friends suggested mixing white paint in it to make it lighter. We had already done that, but it was still almost the same. But we could always mix more, right? In the end we ended up mixing another liter of white paint and then it came back to almost the same color as before. Three coats into it and it's still a little patchy on one side, but I can always make those designs on them! :D

4. You'd feel hungry. A lot.

5. You'd have your househelp coming in to see the progress whenever there's a commercial break from whatever serial she's watching, and commenting on every single question you ask while in a conversation. Even if it's a rhetorical question. But you'd laugh at it, because she's funny sometimes. ;) And she'd tell you genuinely which parts don't look okay and would say, 'yaar kitna mast lag raha hai na?' when it's a job well done! :P

6. Be ready to turn your hands and feet coarse with scrubbing while cleaning up, because your mom might not let you use turpentine oil since 'your skin is very sensitive'. :/ 

7. Wear old clothes that you can discard, in case the paint and stuff doesn't get off.

8. You'd start noticing how Berger Rangoli has an advertisement in between a cricket match and what other brands are into this business. You'd also notice wall paints and combinations in other people's homes.

9. You'd know for yourself the different kinds of paints, how it's okay to mix water with a certain kind if it's too thick. You'd also get comfortable talking to the hardware store wale bhaiya because despite being careful enough, you did need something more.

10. You're actually quite capable of doing what you said you'd do. It feels surreal but you'd be the one who did the upper walls. The parts above the tubelight. Like a boss! 8| You'd know you're awesome! ;)

11. Your mom would wait for you to finish this blogpost, restlessly reminding you that it's 'about time' we went ahead with the designing, and you would want to make her (and yourself) happy, so you'd just stop typing and go ahead. :P 

The final, pre-designed painted walls. :D